


Get Me To The Church

by orphan_account



Category: Castle
Genre: 4x11, F/M, Speculation, Wedding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-08
Updated: 2012-01-08
Packaged: 2017-10-29 05:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/316464
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>"We're never gonna make it."</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	Get Me To The Church

**Author's Note:**

> Fluffy wedding fic, which will be rendered obsolete on Monday night. Written super-quick to get it posted before _Till Death Do Us Part_ airs, so potentially full of mistakes...

Castle leaned against Beckett’s desk, watching in satisfaction as the uniforms led their murderer away in cuffs.  “Another villain off the streets thanks to us.  Feed the birds?”  He held out his hand, fingers wiggling. 

“Castle!”  Beckett was staring at her father’s watch in horror.  “The wedding starts in less than an hour.” 

Their deadline had completely slipped his mind amid the excitement of the take-down and the subsequent confession.  “It’s gonna take longer than that to get there.”  He looked at his own watch, as though that would somehow give them more time. 

“Shit!”  Beckett grabbed the garment bag that was draped over her chair, then bent to pluck her purse and bag from beneath the desk.  “We’re never gonna make it.  I could kill Gates.”  Juggling the bags and her jacket and scarf she headed determinedly for the elevator.  “Come on.” 

Castle snatched his coat and his own garment bag from the desk and trotted after her.  “It’s okay, if we take your car we can use the sirens and lights to cut down our journey time.” 

She spared a moment to give him a scathing glare.  “No, we can’t, because I need to get changed on the way.  And so do you.”  She marched into the elevator, pressing the button five times in quick succession. 

He refrained from pointing out that it wouldn’t make the car move any faster.  “Oh.  _Oh_.”  The meaning of her words finally penetrated his mind as the elevator began to descend.  “What are we gonna do then?” 

They could commandeer a uniform and a squad car, but Gates would probably find out and punish them and the officer involved.  They could try for a cab, but that was hardly ideal...

The solution came to them simultaneously, as it so often did during a case. 

“My car service.” 

“Your car service.”  She jabbed at the elevator button again, diverting it to the ground floor rather than the parking garage.  He was already pulling out his phone. 

\--

They tumbled into the car as soon as it pulled up to the curb, not allowing the driver time to get out and open the doors for them. 

Castle slammed the door.  “Quickly as you can, please, Jonathan.” 

“Yes, Mr Castle.”  Jonathan pulled out into the traffic. 

“You’re sitting on my dress.”  Beckett shoved him off the bag none to gently, hanging it carefully on the hook above her door.  She began spreading out the contents of her other bags on the narrow seat between them. 

Beside her, Castle was trying to do the same -- she couldn’t believe that he had nearly as many cosmetics as she did.  They fought for space on the seat as the car swerved through the busy Manhattan streets. 

“Seriously, Castle, the one time we could really do with a limo...”  She shook her head.  “You couldn’t have asked them to send an SUV or something bigger?”  She undid her hair from the loose ponytail and began brushing it. 

“This was the nearest available car.  We’re in a hurry.”  He was moisturising his face with some kind of lotion. 

The pleasant vanilla and sandalwood scent was subtle but reached her easily in the close confines of the car.  She resisted the urge to take a deep breath of _him_ and instead pulled her portable curling iron from its case. 

“How are you going to plug that in?”  He was staring at the device in fascination.  

“It’s battery operated.”  She flicked it on and waited for it to heat up. 

“I thought your hair was naturally curly.” 

She gave him a look.  “There’s a difference between ‘natural’ curls and ‘going to a wedding’ curls.”  She began the process, working quickly and methodically to create loose, even waves in her hair.  “You should see me in the mornings when I’ve just woken up and one side is totally flat and the other is all frizz...”  She trailed off as the image of waking up beside him refused to be evicted from her brain. 

“I’m sure you have adorable bed-hair.”  He was staring at her now with a soft smile on his face.  “But you’re doing your hair before your make-up?”  He quirked an eyebrow in question. 

“What is this, Castle, you looking for grooming tips?  Or is it background for Nikki?” 

“Just curious.  Alexis and my mother are always arguing about which way around is best.” 

“Oh, really?  And what about you?”  She finished off the final section and laid the iron aside to cool.  “Do you do your hair or your make-up first?” 

“Very funny.” 

She looked over at him, laughing at the pout on his face.  Her grin froze as he reached down and started to undo his fly.  She couldn’t look away.  Her head seemed to be stuck, her eyes locked in position as he began to slide out of his trousers, wriggling about on the leather seat. 

“Castle!”  She finally forced herself to turn away, but not before catching sight of Green Lantern boxers covering a pair of broad thighs. 

“What?”  He had no shame.  “How else am I supposed to get changed?” 

“Discreetly?”  She stared furiously out of the window, ignoring the flickers of his reflection that were superimposed over the passing streets.  “If we get pulled over I’m going to have to flash my badge.”   She cursed her inappropriate word choice.  Fortunately he didn’t seem to have noticed.  “Word’ll get around and we’ll never hear the end of it.” 

“As long as your badge is _all_ you flash, then it’s hardly indecent exposure, Beckett.” 

She rolled her eyes.  Of course he’d noticed. 

“We’re in moving traffic.  Nobody can see me.” 

He had a point, but she wasn’t going to tell him that.  They were moving more freely now, speeding away from the Manhattan traffic.  Still, she was going to wait until they were completely clear of the city before she changed into her dress. 

“Are you decent yet?”  She reached out and blindly felt for her make-up bag. 

“Am I ever decent?”  She could hear the smirk in his voice. 

She turned slowly, relieved when she saw that he was now buttoning his dress shirt. 

Applying make-up in a moving vehicle was less than ideal.  The car ran smoothly, the road-surface was in reasonably good condition and Jonathan was a careful driver, but Beckett still found herself being jostled about as the wheels encountered potholes or bumps. 

It was particularly hard to manage the more delicate make-up around her eyes.  She held the wobbling eyeliner near her eyelid, trying to steady her wrist and maintain her grip on the compact mirror as she bounced in her seat. 

She jumped, startled, when Castle’s hand suddenly covered one of hers.  The wand slipped, smudging eyeliner across her eyelid, giving her the impression of a black eye. 

“Sorry.”  He smiled sheepishly.  “Let me hold the mirror for you.” 

“Thanks.”  She allowed him to hold the mirror while she carefully wiped away the dark smudge and began again. 

He stared at her intensely as she worked on her eyes, and it was all she could do to concentrate on her own reflection rather than his face.  It was still a challenge, but less so now that she didn’t have to hold the mirror as well.  She smiled gratefully at Castle. 

After applying a sweep of mascara to her lashes, she made quick work of her lips before reclaiming the mirror. 

They were safely on the interstate now, and she began unzipping the garment bag.  “Close your eyes, Castle.” 

“What?”  He paused, one cuff-link still resting on his leg, the other hanging from one side of his right cuff. 

“You heard me.”  She laid the dress carefully across her lap.  “Close your eyes.” 

He rolled his eyes -- she’d passed on her bad habits, obviously -- before scrunching them closed tightly.  “How come you’re not asking Jonathan to close _his_ eyes?”  He sounded like a sulky child. 

“Jonathan’s driving the car.”  The driver was pointedly not meeting her eyes in the rearview mirror.  “I can hardly ask him to close his eyes.  He’s concentrating on the road and I’m sure he’s a gentleman and won’t look.”  She glanced at Castle through narrowed eyes.  “Turn your head to the window too.” 

“I don’t know why you don’t trust me.  I didn’t sneak a peak when I was rescuing you from your burning apartment, did I?”  He turned his head with a grumpy sigh.  “I bet there are a thousand traffic cameras out there getting a lovely shot of you wearing nothing but a smile-” 

“Castle, shut up.”  She thanked the universe that she’d changed into her decent underwear before following Gates’ orders to ‘ _get back to the Precinct and not leave until this case is solved and the murderer is behind bars_ ’.  At least she was saved the indignity of having to strip off completely in the backseat of a moving vehicle. 

Beckett pulled off her shirt and shimmied into the dress, awkwardly removing her trousers beneath the skirt.  She wriggled about on the slippery leather seat, pulling the dress straight and making sure it covered everything that it should.  “Castle.” 

“What?”  He still sounded petulant as he turned his head to face her, his eyes remaining tightly scrunched up. 

“I need you to do me up.” 

He opened one eye, squinting suspiciously.  “You what?” 

She twisted in the seat, presenting her back with a heavy sigh.  “Just do the zipper up, Castle.” 

She felt the warmth of his hands near her spine.  “I would just like to point out that in my fantasies the zipper is usually going in the other direction.”  His hands lingered longer than necessary, brushing her skin as he slowly lifted the zipper. 

His breath brushed her neck and she shivered, leaning back into him slightly.  She glanced over her shoulder, meeting his intense gaze with one of her own.  Her head was tilting back, her eyes drifting down to his lips, when their moment was interrupted. 

“We’re nearly there, Mr Castle.”  Jonathan spoke up from the front seat. 

They broke apart abruptly, engaging in a last minute scramble to be ready in time.  Castle hurriedly attached his cuff-links and shrugged into his jacket.  Beckett tidied her hair, slipped in a pair of earrings and checked her make-up one last time. 

Their car pulled up in front of a small, picturesque church.  The wedding cars were parked outside and the heavy wooden doors were tightly closed.  Organ music sounded faintly from within. 

“Dammit, they’ve already started.”  Beckett opened the door and slipped into her shoes. 

“Let’s hope we can sneak in at the back.”  Castle shoved a hefty tip at Jonathan and spilled out of the car, nearly landing in a heap at Beckett’s feet. 

She steadied him with a hand on his arm, then straightened his tie and patted his cheek fondly.  In return, he produced her wrap and arranged it quickly but carefully around her shoulders.  Then they hurried towards the doors, hand in hand. 

\--

“Quite an entrance, you two.”  Lanie’s arms were folded across her chest as she greeted them in the hotel foyer.  Her date hovered nervously in the background, casting wary glances in Esposito’s direction. 

“Oh, come on.”  Castle helped himself to two glasses of champagne from the tray of a passing waiter, handing one to Beckett.  “Everyone knows they only put that line in the ceremony to provide plot developments for soap operas and movies.”  His eyes grew distant.  “I wonder if anyone has ever actually spoken up at that point in real life, rather than forever holding their peace?” 

Esposito shook his head slowly.  “You could have timed it better, dude.  Everyone was convinced you’d come to stop the wedding.  You should’ve seen Ryan’s face.”  

“It’ll be on the DVD right?”  Castle looked hopeful.  “In close-up?” 

“You can blame Gates for our tardiness.”  Beckett frowned darkly.  “She wouldn’t let us leave until we’d closed the case.  We were lucky to make it before the end of the ceremony.” 

They all moved forward, getting closer to the reception room where Jenny and Ryan and their parents were greeting their guests. 

“How is it that you picked the worst possible moment in the entire ceremony to arrive?”  Lanie was still frowning at them in disapproval. 

Esposito bumped Castle’s shoulder.  “Your mom’s an actress.  You’d think a good entrance would be in your genes or something.” 

Their group entered the reception room, catching sight of the wedding party lined up and accepting hugs and kisses from their guests. 

Ryan looked up and met their eyes, his easy smile slipping into a frown. 

“Y’know, maybe we should skip the receiving line.”  Castle took Beckett’s hand and began to sidle away. 

Beckett was no coward but upon catching sight of Ryan’s face she agreed with Castle.  “Now you come to mention it...”  Her grip on Castle’s hand tightened and she pulled him closer.  “We were in the middle of something in the car earlier.  We should... finish that.” 

Castle’s low laughter vibrated through her and she gave him a wide smile as they moved quickly back through the doors into the foyer. 

“Kate Beckett, get back here.”  Lanie had followed them to the doorway and was glaring at them with her hands on her hips.  “You have to greet the bride and groom.”  Beside her, Esposito was nodding in agreement. 

Castle drained his champagne and left his glass on the reception desk.  “We’ll do it later, when he’s had a few drinks and is feeling a little more charitable towards us.” 

“Yeah, give them our best.”  Beckett abandoned her own glass and waved to their friends, as Castle gave up all pretence and swept her off her feet.  He expected her to protest but instead she just laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck and allowed him to carry her through the front doors of the hotel. 

They emerged onto the front terrace and he let her slide slowly down his body until she was standing against him.  He walked her backwards until her back came into contact with the building behind her. 

He brushed his nose against hers, still holding her closely.  “Are you seriously letting me get away with this?” 

She kissed him lightly on the side of his mouth, then bit his lip gently.  “I figure it’ll make Ryan more well-disposed towards us if he sees us making out.” 

“You could be right.  He’s got a soft heart.”  He leaned in until their lips met in a long, slow, languid kiss.  When they eventually separated slightly, he grinned.  “I knew you had an ulterior motive.” 

His mouth began a thorough exploration of her throat and neck while her hands brushed through his hair. 

“Ryan’ll forgive us eventually.”  His words were muffled against her skin and punctuated by kisses.  “It’s not like we actually ruined the wedding or anything.” 

She leaned her head back against the brickwork and sighed.  “Hmm.” 

He laughed softly against her collarbone.  “Have I rendered you speechless, Kate?” 

He blinked in surprise when she effortlessly reversed their positions, and he was suddenly sandwiched between the smoothness of her body and the rough wall of the hotel.  Then it was her turn to render him speechless. 

 **End**


End file.
